News

Despite gloomy weather, livermorium gets its day in the sun

By Jeremy Thomas jethomas@bayareanewsgroup.com

Posted:
06/24/2013 05:05:17 PM PDT

Updated:
06/25/2013 06:10:12 AM PDT

Click photo to enlarge

Murals by Pathways to Picasso artists adorn benches at Livermorium Plaza, on South Livermore Avenue at First Street, dedicated in honor of element 116 on the Periodic Table of Elements in Livermore, Calif., on Monday, June 24, 2013. The manmade element is from a collaboration of scientists from Lawrence Livermore Laboratory and the Flerov Institute in Dubna, Russia. The two cities are among six in the world for which elements have been named. (Cindi Christie/Bay Area News Group)

LIVERMORE --Even a light drizzle couldn't dim Livermore's day in the sun Monday, as the city celebrated its placement on the periodic table with a ceremony that drew city leaders, scientists and their Russian collaborators to the newly christened Livermorium Plaza.

After a heady day of workshops with Russian scientists and other recognition ceremonies, lab chemist Dawn Shaughnessy, the principal investigator on the livermorium discovery team, said. "It's a pretty amazing feeling ... We're very proud this happened and very proud to share this with the city."

More than 200 people turned out for the dedication of the plaza at Mills Square Park, First Street and Livermore Avenue. The name change recognizes the collaboration of teams from Lawrence Livermore Laboratory and Dubna, Russia, in creating the super-heavy elements 114 and 116 -- flerovium and livermorium.

Livermorium carries the symbol Lv and is named for the city and the lab.

Acting as emcee, Livermore Mayor John Marchand gave dignitaries a copy of a city proclamation that henceforth makes May 30 Livermorium Day in Livermore. Also, a livermorium flag, to be flown over the lab and City Hall each May 30, also made its debut.

"We are in rare company because there are only six cities that are on the Mendeleev Periodic Table ... I'm proud beyond words," Marchand said.

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Not to be outdone, the mayor of Dubna, Valeriy Prokh got laughs when he pointed out: "Dubna was fifth and Livermore was sixth."

Prokh also congratulated both cities on the discoveries.

"Even if Livermore and Dubna perish, the elements will live forever," he said. "... On behalf of my city on your achievement, may we all live long and prosper."

The creation of the two elements resulted from a partnership between Livermore Lab and the Flerov Laboratory of Nuclear Reactions, located at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in Dubna, north of Moscow. In 2000, the scientists announced they had successfully created the elements by bombarding curium targets with calcium ions at one-tenth the speed of light.

The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) adopted the names flerovium and livermorium on May 30, 2012, adding Livermore to the short list of cities to have an element named after them.